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The Great Britain Guide

Castles · Scottish Highlands

Beaufort Castle

♿ Wheelchair: limited

Beaufort Castle — castle near Beauly in Inverness-shire, northern Scotland.

Beaufort Castle, castles in Scottish Highlands

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1.5 h–3 h
Nearest railway station
Beauly · 3.1 km
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Beaufort Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Built in the Scottish baronial architecture style. Constructed primarily of stone. Heritage designation: category A listed building. Wikidata describes it as: "castle near Beauly in Inverness-shire, northern Scotland". Coordinates: 57.4527°, -4.4903°.

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Heritage listing

Beaufort Castle or Castle Dounie (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Dhùnaidh) is a Baronial style mansion built in 1880 and incorporating older building work. It is situated on the right bank of the River Beauly near the town of Beauly in Inverness-shire and is 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Kiltarlity and 13 mi (21 km) west of Inverness. There has been a castle on the site since the 12th century. Beaufort Castle is the traditional seat of the Lords Lovat, Chiefs of Clan Fraser of Lovat.

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Beaufort Castle or Castle Dounie (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Dhùnaidh) is a Baronial style mansion built in 1880 and incorporating older building work. It is situated on the right bank of the River Beauly near the town of Beauly in Inverness-shire and is 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Kiltarlity and 13 mi (21 km) west of Inverness. There has been a castle on the site since the 12th century. Beaufort Castle is the traditional seat of the Lords Lovat, Chiefs of Clan Fraser of Lovat.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The earliest mention of the site, as Downie or Dounie Castle, occurs in the reign of Alexander I (1106–1124), when a siege took place. The original castle was built by the Byset family. The castle came into the hands of the Fentons in the late 13th century and later into the hands of the Frasers. English forces besieged the castle in 1303. In the 1650s Dounie was attacked and burned by the forces of Oliver Cromwell during their invasion of Scotland. The Fraser estates were inherited by Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (c.1667–1747), in 1699. Known as 'The Fox', Lovat became deeply involved in the Jacobite cause, which aimed to restore the deposed House of Stuart to the thrones of Scotland and…

Description

The Baronial mansion incorporates a private Roman Catholic chapel. The grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, the national listing of significant gardens in Scotland.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
57.4527, -4.4903
District
Highland
Postcode
IV4 7BB
Parliamentary constituency
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Nearest railway station
Beauly3.1 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Beaufort Castle?
Beaufort Castle is in the Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom (postcode IV4 7BB).
Is Beaufort Castle a listed building?
Beaufort Castle is officially recognised as category A listed building listed.
Does Beaufort Castle charge admission?
Beaufort Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
How do I get to Beaufort Castle?
The nearest railway station is Beauly, about 3.1 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode IV4 7BB.